ICYMI: Grambling’s Hill gets rare quadruple-double

DOUG FEINBERGJanuary 8, 2018

NEW YORK (AP) — Shakyla Hill got 2018 started with a rare quadruple-double.

Grambling State’s star had 15 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals in the team’s win over Alabama State last Wednesday. She became the fourth player in Division I women’s basketball history to accomplish the feat.

“She is very unselfish,” Grambling State coach Freddie Murray said. “She had to do a lot more last year, because we didn’t have a lot of pieces. Now she is surrounded by players who feed off what she gives us. To get a quadruple-double is just a testament to the hard work she puts in.”

It was the first quadruple-double in nearly 25 years, since Sonja Tate of Arkansas State did it on Jan. 27, 1993.

She followed up the historic effort with another strong game on Saturday in a loss to Southern. The junior guard had 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven steals in that game.

Other tidbits from the week:

AILING STILES: Missouri State announced Sunday that Lady Bears assistant coach Jackie Stiles will miss the next several games as she undergoes treatment for ocular melanoma.

The former Lady Bears star’s initial round of treatment will have her miss at least three games, according to a release from the school.

“Thankfully the cancer was caught early and has not spread, and I expect to make a full recovery,” Stiles said in the release. “I am grateful for any thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. I look forward to speaking publicly about this once I return to the team.”

She was the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history until Kelsey Plum broke her record last season. Stiles led Missouri State to the NCAA Final Four in 2001.

“Jackie means so much to this program, university and community,” Lady Bears head coach Kellie Harper said in the release. “All of our thoughts and prayers are with Jackie and her family as she begins this treatment. We are confident she will make full recovery and we look forward to having her back with the team.”

IMPRESSIVE ASHLAND: Ashland University’s broke the Division II record for consecutive wins when the team had its 52nd straight victory on Saturday, beating Northern Michigan 99-59. The Eagles moved into the top spot ahead of Washburn, who had set the previous mark of 51 from Jan. 26, 2005-March 11, 2006.

Ashland has won its last seven games by an average of 45.4 points, and each by at least 35 points, and is averaging 100.0 points per game this season.

STREAK BUSTING: Providence upended St. John’s 49-44 in overtime on Tuesday night, ending a 14-game losing streak to the Red Storm. It was the Friars first victory over St. John’s since Feb. 10, 2007.

“That’s the second one we ended this year. Boston College, we had a 14-game losing streak too,” Providence coach Jim Crowley said. “These kids want to play for each other and what value that has. When you defend you have a chance and the kids are starting to see that.”

POLL WATCH: Rutgers is on the cusp of getting ranked for the first time this season. The Scarlet Knights are 15-2 and have the biggest turnaround this season with a plus-9 mark. The next closest school only has a plus-3.

RISING BROWN: The Brown Bears finished off their non-conference slate with a 12-1 record. That’s the best start in school history. The team has won 10 straight games — the school’s first double-digit winning streak since a school-record 13-game run in the 1992-93 season.

TIP-INS: Kim Barnes Arico became Michigan women’s basketball’s all-time leader in coaching victories with the Wolverines’ win over Wisconsin on Thursday night. She has 124 victories in her six years at the school. Barnes Arico also holds the St. John’s all-time victory mark. ... Texas Tech fired coach Candi Whitaker this week and replaced her with assistant Shimmy Gray-Miller. Whitaker, who graduated from the school in 2002, was hired by Texas Tech in 2013. She has a 54-82 record as head coach, with her best season coming in 2014-15, when the Lady Raiders were 15-16. Texas Tech lost to Kansas on Wednesday and TCU on Sunday under Gray-Miller.